Using Connected Truck Trajectory Data to Compare Speeds in States with and without Differential Truck Speeds

Historically, researchers and practitioners have utilized spot speeds and microscopic simulation methodologies to evaluate the operational impact of differential or uniform speed limits for trucks and passenger vehicles. This paper presents a methodology that uses connected truck data to develop a statistical characterization of both passenger car and truck speeds. These techniques were applied to three adjacent states, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Illinois and Ohio have 70 mph speed limits for both trucks and cars. Indiana has a differential speed limit for heavy trucks (65 mph) and passenger cars (70 mph). The statistical distribution of truck speeds was then compared among Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. These speeds were derived from over 8 million connected truck records traveling along Interstate 70 in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio during a one-week period from May 8-14, 2022. Statistical test results over selected 20-mile sections in each state showed that median truck speeds in Indiana with its differential speed limit of 65 mph were only 1 - 2 mph lesser than the neighboring states of Illinois and Ohio who observe a uniform speed limit of 70 mph for all traffic.

Differential variable speed limits to improve performance and safety of car-truck mixed traffic on freeways

This study develops a differential variable speed limit(DVSL)which assigns different speed limits for car and truck,and varies speed limits based on traffic conditions.The proposed DVSL algorithm changes speed limits in real time based on truck percentage and occupancy immediately upstream of the ramp and the average speed of the control road sections upstream of the ramp.DVSL algorithm also considers spatial coordination of speeds,which gradually changes the speed limits in successive road sections upstream of the ramp when the severe congestion occurs.The study tested the impacts of DVSL and three other speed limit strategies on delay and safety for a section of the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto,Canada using the VISSIM traffic simulation model.The other strategies are 1)uniform speed limit(USL),2)differential speed limit for car and truck(DSL),and 3)USL&DSL(U&D)-i.e.,USL at low truck percentage and DSL at high truck percentage.It was found that DVSL showed the lowest delays for both car and truck among the four strategies.This is mainly because DVSL increased the spacing between vehicles in the right lane upstream of the on-ramp and facilitated vehicles’merging into the mainline freeway.It was also found that DVSL showed the lowest likelihood of rear-end crash between the lead and following vehicles among the four strategies.This study demonstrates that the proposed DVSL algorithm can better control car and truck speeds to reduce delay and improve safety of car-truck mixed traffic flow on freeways.

The significance of the posted minimum speed limits along interstate highways in South Carolina on traffic operation and safety

This paper evaluated the significance of the posted differential speed limits(DSL)on traffic safety and operation along interstate highways in South Carolina.This paper defines DSL as the difference between the posted maximum and minimum speed limits.The paper used vehicle speed and traffic crashes for analysis.The evaluation results showed over 99%of all vehicles complied with the posted 45 mph minimum speed limit and more than 50%of drivers drove above the posted maximum speed limit regardless of the posted maximum speed limits.The results also indicated that speed variations increased as the DSL increased.However,the safety evaluation showed conflicting results on the impacts of the DSL on safety.The results showed the DSL had negative implications on crashes per AADT per lane.This is attributed to increased interactions between slower and faster-moving vehicles in the traffic stream.On the contrary,it was observed that segments with higher DSL had fewer crashes per mile per lane than the segments with the lower DSL.These results suggest there is a need to conduct more research to quantify the efficacy of posting the minimum speed limit because there were no problems observed with motorists driving too slowly on interstate highways.The results provide important information on the efficacy of posting minimum speed limits to improve the uniformity of traffic flow and safety.